To have hardwood flooring in your home is a big deal. The luxurious feel of it, the durability, the classic vibe, and the elegance it brings to your house ambiance hardly has any match. However, all that comes with a lot of hard work and meticulous care only. You can never take a hardwood flooring for granted, as you can do with tiles or vinyl plank floors. You will have to cautiously clean it, that, too, keeping every possible inch of the flooring in mind.
Hardwood – A Tricky Floor
Contents
A bit of carelessness and the hardwood starts warping. On top of that, the one thing that we use to clean every possible thing existing in this world, a hardwood floor cannot handle that very thing. You guessed it right; we are talking about water. A slightly more damp pad to clean, and you end up with a damaged hardwood surface. If we take tile flooring into account, we can spill water on it and sweep it with a dampened mop. Basically, it allows us to make mistakes. But that is not the case for hardwood flooring.
So, when the flooring is not very fond of moisture, you can guess how tricky it could be when it comes to keeping it clean.
Solution To the Problem
That is why experts suggest only using tools and cleaners that are designed to clean hardwood floors. A high-end, pricey cleaning machine with hefty features or the best cleaning solution, which is strictly not made for the hardwood floor, will be worse than a simple broomstick. A broom will perform better in keeping the hardwood floor clean and safe without ruining the finish and leaving ugly scratches on the rather even, lustrous surface.
Need For A Safe Cleaning Solution
We are not in any shape or form, suggesting a veto on cleaning machines or cleaning solutions. We are forewarning you to keep in mind that the hardwood floor demands a hardwood floor cleaning machine and hardwood floor cleaning solution. You need one even if they are high-priced. There is nothing to compromise in that regard unless you are ready to take the dent in your pocket because you will need a replacement pretty soon if you do not care. However, if you are not willing to pay for expensive cleaning solutions, make one at home. That is the better, safer, less pricey, and reasonable option for all you frugal people.
Save
Homemade Hardwood Floor Cleaner with Vinegar
We believe that many of you homeowners with hardwood floors might already be using different kinds of cleaning solutions, mostly homemade. One of the most common homemade cleaning solutions has to be the one with vinegar as a cleaning agent. The homemade hardwood floor cleaner with vinegar is best mainly because it is all-natural.
Vinegar
Vinegar contains 5-8% acetic acid in it, and the rest of it is water. You have two types of vinegar; one is the white vinegar with less percentage of acetic acid. And the other is the apple cider vinegar with a slightly higher percentage of acetic acid. The acetic acid has a slight capability of killing some germs and bacteria, if not all. So, vinegar works as a disinfectant too.
Making The Homemade Vinegar Cleaning Solution
If anything, that can damage your hardwood floor in the vinegar that will be the acidic agent in it. So, it is always better to use less acidic vinegar. Take the white vinegar as it is readily available in our house for using it in different dishes.
Dilute before Use
Never pour vinegar directly on the hardwood. Vinegar has to be deconcentrated. Otherwise, it is too harsh on the surface or anything that you intended to clean with it. One cup of vinegar easily deconcentrates in one gallon of water.
Two Different Use Of The Solution
You can try two things, a bucket, and a spray bottle. Every time you are ready to mop the hardwood floor, you will have to take a gallon of water in a bucket and mix a cup of vinegar in it. A gallon of water with a cup of vinegar poured in it and a microfiber cloth or stick mop with a microfiber pad to sweep a moderately sized room.
Once In A Month Deep Cleaning
But most of the time, your hardwood floor doesn’t need that sort of deep cleaning. Those who follow the proper steps of maintaining hardwood floors always dust the floor, try hard to keep the whole house dust-free, and whenever something falls or spills on the floor, they immediately sweep it with a damp cloth and immediately sweep it once again to dry that spot. No water, no stain, no stain, therefore, nothing to damage the hardwood floor. So, you can have your vinegar solution in a small spray bottle for emergency use too.
Spray Bottle
In that case, a half-liter spray bottle will need no more than one and a half tablespoon of white vinegar to dilute. Also, it depends on the product too. Every vinegar brand could have a different concentrated vinegar. So it will help if you start with less vinegar. If the cleaning solution is not working, add a bit more vinegar in the same water quantity. Though, slowly, you will get the right ratio eventually.
Cleaning Process
The cleaning process of hardwood flooring is simple. You will have to do the dusting daily. And need to clean the footprints, food spills, drinks, water immediately. Spray a little bit of vinegar cleaning solution to remove the tough-to-clean dirt. That will ensure that the deep cleaning of the hardwood floor once a month will be enough. Because with regular cleaning, there will be nothing to clean thoroughly.
If you are deep cleaning once in a month, take a microfiber cloth and mix a cup of vinegar in one gallon of water to sweep one room. Change the water and again mix a cup of vinegar whenever you are done cleaning one room. Every room will need a gallon of water with a cup of vinegar mixed in it. The whole process will always be the same.
